UNI soccer drops season opener to South Dakota, 4-0

Wednesday, August 12

Cedar Falls, Iowa

4 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

0-1-0, 0-0-0

South Dakota

1-0-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
South Dakota	2	2	4
UNI	0	0	0

Photo by: UNI Athletics

UNI soccer drops season opener to South Dakota, 4-0

8/12/2026 7:20:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery

Panthers unable to find back of net in season opening defeat.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Five Panthers made their collegiate debuts on Wednesday for the UNI soccer team as Northern Iowa fell to South Dakota by a score of 4-0 in its 2026 regular season opener at the UNI Soccer Field.

The Panthers struggled to maintain possession on offense as the Coyotes tallied two goals in each half. South Dakota controlled the shot attempts chart with a 21-5 difference, which included nine shots on goal to UNI's three.

HOW IT HAPPENED
South Dakota broke the scoreless tie with a Brooke Conway goal in the 26th minute on an assist from Brooklyn Pollmiller. The Coyotes tallied another goal in the 37th minute to take a 2-0 lead at the break. Kylie Knief and Kailey O'Brien recorded the only two shot attempts on goal in the first half for the Panthers .

USD continued its momentum offensively in the second half scoring its third goal of the afternoon in the 59th minute with a score from Gabbie Ryan. South Dakota's Elsa Nygren would add the final goal of the match with one second remaining in regulation on a quick change in possession.

Knief, Kailey O'Brien and Ella Ubben all tied for the UNI lead with one shot attempt on goal each in the contest, while goalkeeper Poppy Anderson notched five saves in her Division I debut in net.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI falls to 9-6-4 all-time against the Coyotes, snapping a streak of consecutive ties between the programs. Both the UNI and South Dakota have now met in each of its last three regular season openers.
Wednesday's loss snaps a four-game unbeaten streak by the Panthers in regular season openers, tied for the third-longest such streak in team history.
Northern Iowa saw the collegiate debuts of five players on Wednesday in Morgan Smith, Ella McGinnis, Audrey Still, Keira Bogott and Shaelee Franck.
Wednesday's match saw the first collegiate starts in the careers of Smith, Torie Delgado, McGinnis, Still, Allison McCleery, Abi Roberts and Bogott.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Sunday, Aug. 16 when they host Milwaukee in the second contest in a three-game homestand. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at the UNI Soccer Field with live coverage available on ESPN+.

UNI women's soccer action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Panther Soccer), X (@UNI_Soccer) and on Instagram (@unipanthersoccer). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.